Attached-handle closure-disk



H. L. COMPTON.

ATTACHED HANDLE CLOSURE DISK.

APPLICATION r1150 MAR. 16. 1919.

1,313,674. PatentedAug. 19,1919.

a citizen of the United States of and resident of Washington city,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY L. COMPTON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERI- CAN DAIRY SUPPLY COMPANY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A

CORPORATION OI MAINE.

ATTACHED-HANDLE CLOSURE-DISK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. '19, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY L. COMPTON,

America,

District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Attached- Handle Closure-Disks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in closure disks and the like; and the objects and nature of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art in the light of the following explanation of the accompanying drawings illustrating what I now believe to be the preferred mechanical expression or embodiment of my invention from among other forms, arrangements and constructions Within the spirit and scope thereof.

Milk and other products that are delivered to the consumer in bottles, are usually sealed or closed by flat paper material disks (usually termed milk caps), fitted against sealing shoulders or seats within the bottle mouths and held therein by the tension or natural elasticity of the paper material. These disks are exceedingly diflicult to remove from the bottle mouths unless provided with pull tabs or handles. These socalled handle caps must be of such construction as to permit rapid economical manufacture by automatic machinery and consequent low production cost, and to permit economical packing for shipment, and to reduce to the minimum danger of the handles separating from the disks under the pulling strain during extraction particularly Where the handles have been subjected to soaking by milk or other liquid, and to reduce to the minimum the quantity of paper material required, and to avoid so far as possible the use of metal and to render the handles clearly visible and also readily ac cessible to the fingers. The handle cap commonly employed consists of an oblong flat strip of strong flexible paper, such as tag board, resting on the top face of the paper disk, and at its outer end secured by a staple to the edge portion of the disk, so that the free inner end of the paper strip can be bent up to form a tab or ha dle for extracting the disk. However, the universal use of these highly desirable handle caps has not been possible because the handles and staples securing the same to the disks, form upwardly pro ecting obstructions and edges that prevent the use of such handle caps in bottle capping machinery.

The plain closure disks or caps can he successfully used in such capping machines, but the capping machines on the market cannot be successfully employed for applying the said attached-handle caps or disks of commerce to receptacles. The said attachedhandle disks will not feed through such machmes and these machines constructed for receiving and applying the plain caps or disks cannot be successfully utilized for manipulating and applying the handle caps because of the projection of the handles and their fastening means beyond the otherwise fiat smooth surfaces of the disks. The use of a handle caps is thereby to this extent restricted and the public hence to this extentloses the benefits and advantages that would be derived from the use of such handle caps.

Capping machinery is very extensively employed for applying plain milk caps to bottles, and for sanitary and other reasons the use of automatic machinery for applying such plain disks is on the increase, and hence for several years the provision of a satisfactory commercial attached-handle cap that could be used in capping machinery, and hence supply the public demand for handle caps, has been a serious problem among closure disk manufacturers and experts.

It is an object of this invention to so improve the said attached-handle cap of commerce that it can be used in capping machinery While retaining all of the advantageous features and qualities of the hereinbefore mentioned handle cap.

A further object of the invention is to so improve said attached handle cap of commerce as to greatly extend the field of use thereof by rendering said cap capable of be ing applied to bottles by capping machinery, and also to maintain said improvement within such bounds and construction requirements as to permit economical quantity production thereof by the present automatic attached handle cap producing machinery after subjecting the same to comparatively inexpensive additions and modifications.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flat paper closure disk having a handle or tab formed of a separate piece stapled to the disk and inset therein so that the disk is without such top and bottom projecting edges or shoulders as will prevent the use of capping machinery in app-lying such disks to bottles and other containers.

The invention consists in certain novel features in construction and in combinations and arrangements as more fully and part1cu larly set forth and pointed out hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein the disk and other parts are shown exaggerated in size and thickness for purposes of illustration Figure 1, is a perspective of an attachedhandle closure disk embodying my invention.

Fig. 2, is an edge view.

I Fig. 3, is a perspective snowing the disk,

handle strip, and staple separated.

Fig. 4, is a sectionradially of the disk and longitudinally of the handle strip.

In the drawings, I show a smooth-faced flat round paper (or equivalent material) disk 1, or so-called milk cap, having a flat comparatively thin oblong strip of paper 2, (or equivalent material) fastened thereto by staple 3 to form a pull tab or han I do not wish to so limit my invention.

The flat pull tab or handle, in the example illustrated, has parallel longitudinal edges, is comparatively narrow in width, short in length, and arranged radially of the disk and secured atits outer end to the edge portion of the disk, thereby forming the free inner end that can be bent up and grasped by the fingers in exerting the necessary pull to extract the disk from the mouth of the container closed thereby.

In the example illustrated, the staple securing the handle or tab is U shape and arranged transversely of and driven through the tab and disk with its legs bent against the disk and preferably pressed into the under side thereof in alinement with each other and under and parallel with thetop transverse length .of the staple, although I do not wish to so limit my invention.

The tab or handle and its securing means (in this example, the staple) are mset or countersunk in the top side of the disk so that the top surfaces of the. handle and its securing means are approximately v flush with the top surface of the disk 7.. e., the top surfaces of the handle and its securing intents means do not project alcove or beyond the plane of the top face of the disk and present shoulders, edges or obstructions that will prevent the free use of such caps or disks in bottle capping machinery.

The paper material disk is formed with a top permanent depression, socket, seat or. recess a to receive the handle and its fastening. In the particular example illustrated, this recess at its outer end opens through the edgle of the disk and extends therefrom radia ly of the disk and is of greater length than the handle. The floor of the recess is flat and parallel with the top face of the disk, except at its inner end 6 beyond the inner extremity of the handle where the depth of the recess gradually tapers off so that the inner end I; of said floor gradually inclines upwardly to the plane ,of the surface of the disk.

In the particular example illustrated, the depth and width of the recess more or less closely approximate the thickness and Wldtll'bf the paper strip forming the handie and said. strip is more or less snugly fitted therein parallel with the top face of the disk and closely fitting and parallel with the fiat portion of the floor of the recess with the top face of the strip not projecting outwardly beyond the plane'of the top face of the disk. The edges of the strip preferably fit and protect the vertical raw edge walls of the recess and this engagement can tend to .not wish to so limit all features of my inmachinery. The pressure is so applied to the staple that the transverse portion thereof bodily depresses a corresponding transverse-portion '6 of the paper strip (see Fig. 4) formin a top oove in which the transverse portlon of t e staple is inset, and also depressin a corresponding groove in the floor of t e recess of the cap immediately above the ends of the staple that are driven upwardly into the bottom of the disk although I do not wish to so limit my invention. The handle strip is thereby strongly secured against separation from the staple during the disk extracting pull while the staple is also strongly held in the disk against separation therefrom during such serves to display or indicate the presence of the stock,

r p app the handle and its purpose and to guide the finger or finger nail in the o eration of elevating the free end of the strip so that it can j be grasped by the fingers.

Various operations mi ht be utilized to form the depressions in t e top sides of the disks, but I gain advantages in forming the recesses through removal of the material of the disk by a rotary grinder or cutter operating at high speed so as not to disintegrate or otherwise disturb and weaken the portions of the disks forming the floors and walls .of the recesses. The automatic attached-handle cap making machines now in use, feed a ribbon of disk stock with a step by step movement and at each interval of rest, a handle is stapled to the stock, and a completed attached-handle disk is cut from A ribbon of handle strip stock is fed into placetransversely of the disk stock and between the same and the stapling mechanism during each feeding movement of -the disk stock. In adapting such machines to produce the disks of my present invention, I provide means to grind the hereinbefore mentioned recess in the disk stock at each, interval of rest and before said recessed portion reaches'the handle position, and provide means requiring accurate registration of the recess with the handle strip and compression or forcing of the handle strip into the recess,

although I do not wish to limit my present invention to such ap aratus and method,

access to and bending up of the free end of nor do I wish to limit all features of my invention to handle strips formed of paper or secured in the exact manner hereby disclosed.

It is evident that various changes, modifications and variations might be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and hence I .do. not wish to limit myself to the exact disclosures hereof: a

What I claim is 1. An attached-handle 'closuredisk consisting of a single-ply flat paper-material disk at its to side having a recess formed by a displace portion of the disk, said recess opening through the edge of the disk and extending therefrom inwardly of the disk, and a straight flexible free-end handle strip of relatively tough material pressed into the previously completed recess and onto the flat floor thereof and clipped to saidfloor, said separate strip being approximately flush and parallel with the to surface of 'the disk to permit free use 0 the disk in capping machinery and to permit ready edges of said strip enga the strip from the recess to form a pull handle.

2. An attached-handle closure consisting of a paper-material disk having a relatively thin portion of its body out out and removed moved exceeding the length of said separate strip, said strip being approximately flush with the top surface of the disk to ermit free use of the closure in cappin mac inery.

3. A single-ply closure dis having a portion of its top side out out to form .an elongated recess extending through the edge of the disk, and a flat handle strip of tough material pressed into said recess and fr1ctionally engaging the sides of the recess and secured to the floor of the recess adjacent to the edge of the disk, said strip being approximately flush with the face of "the disk to permit free use thereof in capping machinery.

4. An attached-handle closure consisting of a paper-material disk having a relatively thin (portion of its body out out and remove to form a top-depression or recess nd a relatively tough fiat flexiblefree-en handle strip set down in said previously completed recess ontothe floor thereof and stap ed thereto, the length of said portion out out and removed exceeding the length of said separate strip, said separate strip being approximately flush and parallel with the top surface of the disk to ermit free use of the disk in capping mac inery and to permit ready access'to and bending up of the free end of the strip from the recess to form a pull handle.

5. An attached-handle closure consisting of a paper-material disk having a relativegg thin portion of its body out out and remov to form a top de ression or recess, and a flexible free-end andle strip pressed in said previously completed recess onto the floor thereof and stapled thereto, the side gmg the raw edge walls of said recess, said separate strip being approximately flush and parallel with the to surface of the disk to it free use '0 the disk in capping m inery and to permit ready access to and bending up of the free end of the strip from the recess to form a pullhandle.

HARRY n COMPTON. 

